UPDATE: The various beat writers have reported that Terry Francona confirms a tear of the muscle in Youkilis' thumb. The details of the injury, however, are more confusing.

There’s certainly some gray area here. He has a muscle tear that we quite frankly don’t know the extent of.

Generally the story is that they're hoping it heals up with two weeks rest, but if it doesn't they're going to need to perform surgery, which would be it for Youkilis this season. If the team falls further out of the playoff race, the organization may be very hesitant to risk anything with regards to Youkilis' future by having him play out the remainder of the year.

UPDATE: 98.5 The Sports Hub is reporting that Youkilis' injury might be a torn muscle at the base of his thumb, which would require season ending surgery.

Kevin Youkilis has been placed on the disabled list after injuring his right thumb in last night's game against the Indians. Mike Lowell will be activated and start tonight's game at first base.

Youkilis came out of yesterday's game in the third inning after getting jammed on a swing. He was in visible pain running down the line and was trying to stretch out his thumb for the remainder of the inning.

Lowell has been raking in Triple-A Pawtucket, batting .500/.500/1.227 with four home runs in 22 at bats. The Red Sox attempted to trade him for the deadline, even looking into deals with the Yankees, but could not find a fit for Lowell.

Youkilis, who has been the team's best offensive player all year, joins a long list of Red Sox who have spent time on the disabled list this year. There is no word on how long he will be out.